Follow-Up From Previous Episode

Razer's first US retail store is also an arcade - “Console gaming killed the American arcade, but it's possible that PC gaming might be responsible for the resurrection. Razer is opening its first US-based retail store in San Francisco but it sounds more like the arcades of yore than a high-end retailer. The centerpiece of the 1,300 square foot, two level outlet is the 20 'gaming stations' where patrons are encouraged to 'stay all day and play games.' In addition, the company will support the local community with regular gaming competitions, which will be broadcast on the store's 16 x 9-foot video wall.”

On top of that, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson mentioned earlier in the day that the film and TV industries have reaped benefits from “going back into the closet and taking IPs from many many years ago and reinventing them for the future world,” and he believes that Electronic Arts is going to do the same thing as well.”

it's fun to hope for a new Ultima. Like as not, EA has dozens of old franchises and IPs to choose from if it wants to go and resurrect a title or two from last century. But...you know what? It's high time that EA did something with the Ultima namesake, beyond continuing to prop up a single MMORPG.

In Other News

Underworld Overlord- OtherSide Entertainment have announced Underworld Overlord, an action/strategy game (kind of a tower defense title, really), exclusively for Google’s Daydream VR platform (which is slated to launch later this year...once manufacturers release Android phones that support it, and once Google releases Android N).

Overfall, a roguelike RPG overflowing with unpredictable challenges and emergent story elements, is available now for Windows, Mac, and Linux, DRM-free on GOG.com. The characters in the game look rather weird, though the environments are gorgeous. And it evidently has a robust sailing component to it.

Exanima, the dark isometric RPG armed with a unique, physics-based combat system, is available now, DRM-free on GOG.com. This game is kind of a prequel to the promising Sui Generis, which was crowdfunded on Kickstarter some years back and which has kind of been stuck in development hell for a bit. Hopefully Examina does well enough for the developers that they're able to finish the originally-planned game.

Titan Quest has launched on iOS; it's available for late-model iPads (as expected), and also for iPhones and iPod Touches (which, I'll be honest, I didn't expect to see supported).